Benson Krause (29) committed suicide by crashing his vehicle into a train

Benson Krause, 29, was killed when the car he was driving on Metra railroad tracks was struck by a train Tuesday evening in west suburban Downers Grove. A preliminary police investigation indicated he deliberately drove his 2007 Toyota onto the tracks east of Maple Avenue in order for it to be hit by the train
Krause was pronounced dead at 5:01 p.m.

Tuesday at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, the DuPage County Coroner's office said. The autopsy showed he died of multiple traumatic injuries stemming from the crash. Downers Grove police Deputy Chief Jim Black confirmed the victim was the driver.

Metra's Burlington Northern Sante Fe train No. 1243 was westbound from Chicago to Aurora when it was involved in a grade-crossing accident about 4:30 p.m., according to Metra spokesman Patrick Waldron. The DuPage County Coroner's office said the crash happened where the tracks intersect Fairview Avenue.

The crash happened about 250 feet east of the Maple Avenue intersection. Witnesses saw the late-model Toyota car driving east on the tracks before it was struck by the westbound train, Black said.

No suicide note was found in the wreckage or at the man's home, Black said. Laboratory toxicological testing results are pending. No one else was injured in the incident, which caused delays on the line at the height of the evening rush hour and affected tens of thousands of commuters.